Forum:THE BATTLE OF WILLOWDALE
PATHFINDERS, THIS IS IT! With your 17 days of prep-time, plan out what strategies and work your characters (mains and alts) will be doing before the "Battle of Willowdale" - Will they be building defenses? Will they be training followers for war? Will they be recruiting the Firewalkers? Will they write out a last will?? If you cannot attend the game, please type out what your character(s) will be doing - Jura received word of impending hobgoblin attack on the tenth of Leafall, '''giving Pathfinders 17 days of advance warning, and the general warning was given out on the ''27th of Leafall'' - giving three days for any last quests and preparation for the invasion. Remember! Each PC gets a 10k item as a reward from the dwarves for finding the ocean (even if you weren't part of the group that found it) Remember! You can use the Willowdale druid circle in the Golden Fields to quickly travel to Ravenswood or Deepen Dale. Recruited Allies The Pathfinders have met many friends along their journeys, and perhaps some would be willing to aid them. *The call has gone out and every wall guard, militiaman and able-bodied warrior in the town of Willowdale and the surrounding lands has been called upon. Antique family swords, hunting bows and Ned's entire stock of purchased armour have been used to outfit the army. The forces of Willowdale measure 1000 men strong. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Jura, Kat, and Alyenna there are 50 war-trained horses, and about 300 young, strong horses and ponies. *General Wilson and his personal retinue of nine soldiers, representing his bodyguard and aides, have teleported to Willowdale, and the general will be leading the defense. The overland army is still 14 days away from Willowdale, with perhaps the earliest cavalry 10 days away. *Some druids from the Ravenswood are coming to Willowdale, though we don't know how many or what capabilities they may have. Jura is expecting noncombatants, and hoping for a few healers who can stick around behind the lines of fire. *While Gullykin doesn't seem like the most obvious place to find heroes, Yeslick says the small-folk are unmatched with their hunting slings. (Recommended Diplomats: Kat, Yeslick) *Wutog mentions that prayer, specifically prayer at the shrines may be a good idea. (Coyote easy, Nethys easy to get to but unexplored, complicating things, Twin Gods hard to get to, Baal right out?) *Ned wonders if any of the rapscallions in Marten's Dam might be convinced to defend their southern neighbour. *Martha will turn the Boar & Thistle into a triage-camp and military headquarters for the battle. *Knights of the Post should be contacted. They can't come behind the wall, but may be able to take part in strike missions or provide information, scouting, or another handy item they've found in the swamp. Jura would ask General Wilson if they could be offered pardon for sufficient service. At the very least they should be warned that the whole area is about to get very messy. (Jura would go for this. Flying is useful in the Fens.) *Firewalkers may be able to provide information, or to prepare the terrain in the three days leading up to the attack. (Recommended Diplomats: Rain, Jura, Dr. Haiduc, Ru, Kat, with team including at least one speaker of Goblin, one friend of Firewalkers) *Kobolds may be threatened or bribed into helping Ru and co prepare traps around the battlefield. Seriously, the little dudes know their traps. (Recommended: Ru) *Can Dr. Haiduc possibly get some help from the Sisters of Sand? *Jacob Plainsview has not offered help. *Gorgoroth doesn't know HOW, but he will do his best into asking The Storm King for help. Jura's To-Do list: *Visit with the Archdruid of the Ravenswood circle to ask for advice. Received an enhancement to Foluchan's Branch. The Archdruid also expressed concerns that The Necromancer may strike at Ravenswood around this time, and stated an intent to evacuate some druidic initiates through the Golden Fields circle. Jura agreed to assist with such an evacuation, and received permission from Willowdale authorities to do so. *Assist in the preparation of the town and the townsfolk for battle. Includes asking Valconey and Sosostriss to help with some blasting. May work under direction of Colquhoun for the first 17 days, and the Colonel for last-minute prep. *Order her item, probably a +3 Cloak of Resistance or a Wilding Clasp for armour. *Brew some potions. Give some potions to some people. Full list pending, but Enrique already got Oil of Magic Stone. *Request a wand or two from Wavlyn. *Prep Rahzer'ok for the battle. *Send word to her family. Not really a last will, but more of an "If you don't hear from me again, it's because Hobgoblins killed me." Actually, she'd arrange to have this sent after the fact, if possible. *Remind people doing strategizing that she can turn into any Tiny to Huge-size animal, Small or Medium Magical Beast, or Small or Medium elemental for 8 hours at a time, 4 forms per day. Key forms include Air elemental scouter / bomber and full-size Triceratops super-tank. Comments for Jura *Place holder Ruthea's To-Do List *Write a letter to her elder sister. *She has visited Jacob Plainsview to petition for aid. He did not offer any help (none was expected). *Order her item, likely +3 Bracers of Armor. She may also purchase a Circlet of Persuasion. *Confer with people responsible for tactics about the possibility of crafting traps near the Wall. She will attempt to persuade the Kobolds into helping her with this. *Make herself useful in general, helping others where needed, especially Sosostriss and Valconey. *Boost town morale, possibly with Calmex's help, with bardic performances. *Attempt to contact Noale and Rain to petition them for help, possibly through scrying. Comments for Ruthea *(This is probably going to be really important, since Bardic Performance is not limited by distance and affects every ally who can see/hear you - Jura) Rinzler's To-Do List *Write a letter to his mother, basically saying "So the town I'm staying in is about to be invaded by an army because no one did anything about it before it was ready to invade, so I'm helping them to prepare, but don't worry because I'm not planning on getting myself killed to defend the place and it's really not much more dangerous then the other things I've been doing lately anyways." She will likely not be comforted in any way. *Write a letter to Sir Roswell, boiling down to "The army finally showed up. It's a smidge late, but that's the government for you. I'll send you a letter later telling you how everything goes." *Purchase his item, a +3 chain shirt. *Craft, craft, craft! Since he's not a soldier or tactician in any way, he would be looking to others to tell him what would be most useful. For reference, he has Brew Potion, and with his current resources, can jack up his Craft(alchemy) to +36 (+40 if he can keep gargling Dr. Haiduc's Int potion). It also takes him 1/2 of the normal time to craft any item using Craft(alchemy) due to his class ability Swift Alchemy. Use him how you will, troop leaders! : Looking at Alchemist's Fire: if he takes 10 and the Int pot, bringing him to a DC50, he can make Alchemist's Fires at a rate of 10 per week (normal craft checks take a week, his high check means that he takes 1/5th of the time, and halving it again due to Swift Alchemy makes it take 1/10th of the time). Smokesticks are the same, thunderstones can be produced at 1/8th of the normal time. Not particularly awesome for stocking an army, but not too shabby. *Replenish the supply of Universal Explosive if necessary. *On the night before the attack, he will put all of his possessions in his Bag of Holding. All of them. In case of *absenteeism* on the day of the battle, his plan is to help as much as he can without putting himself in too much danger, and if the battle begins to look hopeless, he plans to escape (helping others if such is the case) either by using Valconey's Portal or by retreating further into civilization (using Expedious Retreat and Invisibility), whichever seems safer. Comments for Rinzler *In response to above, Jura suggests focusing on alchemical items, primarily alchemist's fire, thunderstones, and smoke bomb-type things, since with Swift Alchemy he can seriously mass-produce these things and we already have two potion brewers, Jura and Dr. Haiduc. However, she's not a natural tactician and has no experience with large-scale combat, so she suggests asking Colquhoun, the Colonel, Alejandra, etc for advice. Kat's To-Do List *Make sure that Heart Stomper is put in a special stable for non fighting horses. *Find a new spot for Dragonstorm Treeborn to plant himself inside the wall. *Move The Grand Cardinal, Buttercup, Turtlerose, and Red into the safety if the Barrow Motel. *Strongly consider staying at the Barrow Motel to make sure no one gets hurt. Comments for Kat *Rinzler is likely to tell Kat that the Barrow Motel probably isn't very safe, considering that it's on the road leading from very near the hobgoblin camp to the gate. Dr. Haiduc's To-Do List *Begin Unseen Crafter Spam. Upon returning to Willowdale from the hobgoblin scouting mission, Dr. Haiduc will be using every spell slot of second level or higher, and his second level Pearl of Power, to cast Unseen Crafter. This will amount to 15 castings per day. Assuming taking 10 and using Guidance he can make DC 25 craft checks. This will allow him to produce: : 133.9 gold worth of goods by the first day, : 401.7 gold worth of goods by the second day, : 803.5 gold worth of goods by the third day, : 1339.2 gold worth of goods by the forth day, : 2008.9 gold worth of goods by the fifth day, : 2812.5 gold worth of goods by the sixth day, : 3750 gold worth of goods by the seventh day. : This will stop on the day of the attack (so he can prepare combat spells), and so he will probably only have 3-4 days worth of crafting, but that will still give him 803-1339 gold worth of mundane equipment. The Doctor can craft weapons, armor, bows, carpentry, masonry, leather, alchemy (although Rinzler's a better source for that), and on the far side of usefulness in a military situation, painting, sculpture, clothing, clockwork, tattoos, and calligraphy. Pathfinders or the militia can put in requests for whatever equipment they want, assuming that they can provide the raw materials and don’t mind a horde of invisible workers, which he assures are quasi-intelligent, para-elemental spirits and not, he repeats, NOT the trapped souls of contractors who took too long with Haiduc home renovations. That is a filthy rumor with almost no basis in truth. : Please list equipment requests below. Also, if any casters have Pearls of Power they can lend him or can cast Channel the Gift to grant him more castings, please let him know so that the numbers can be adjusted accordingly. If there are no specific requests, he will start making light ballistas, as he could get two finished within four days and they're simple enough that almost anyone can use them. *Craft Siege Hawks: a tiny animated object made to fly that can carry 20lbs as a light load. A stone of that weight dropped from 150ft would do 4d6 damage (DC 15 Reflex half). They cost 125 gold in materials (cheap compared to most siege weapons) and Dr. Haiduc can make 4 per day. They can be set up along the wall to be directed by people with little combat ability. The wooden birds would have a hardness of 5, an AC of 18, and would fly in at least the second range increment for heavy crossbows, making them difficult to bring down. *Ride to the Sister's of the Sand and bargin for their aid in the defense of Willowdale. Comments for Dr. Haiduc *Light Ballistas sounds like a very good plan, assuming we've got the entire militia outfitted in basic equipment first. Jura might also request a Heavy Wooden Shield, depending on what people decide her role in combat ought to be. Is there any reason you can't use more Unseen Crafters in the retcon-ish time between the 10th and the 27th? **It would be less efficient (The Doctor leveled after the scouting mission), but crunching the numbers, casting every day from the tenth to when we departed to the hobgoblin camp would yeild....9792 gold worth of finished goods. Of course, by the seventh day there would be 84 invisible workers wandering arround Willowdale (As if people didn't think Dr. Haiduc was weird enough). Also, if anyone knows how to get access to the fabricate spell that could accomplish more then this without the Spectral Workforce. *YES PLEASE. They'd probably make the save with the shields, but 2d6 is still nothing to sneeze at, especially since it's not putting any defending soldiers in danger. *Chorus, Erevis' ghost cohort knows a spell or two that might be of use to Dr. Haiduc; Crafter's Fortune , and will prepare a casting per day for him that will give the good doctor a +5 luck bonus to each daily craft check, so that should up the finished goods total. I'm still getting his spell list together so if you have any suggestions for useful spells throw them to me. Alejandra's To-Do List *Request that General Wilson and Colonel Boyd assist in training the old members of the Sun and Moon Brigade in the proper handling of firearms and explosives with which they can defend the wall. *The rifle given to her by Colonel Boyd has gone missing, though Sheriff Colquhoun and Enrique have seen her son carrying it around. Thusly informed, she implores either of them to train her son in its proper usage, should the worst happen. *Ballantino has weapon/magic item crafting expertise, and can assist with projects on that end. *Assist with the safe evacuation of non-combantants, just in case the fight should be taken inside the town itself. *Start other preparations for guerrilla offensive actions (See Tactical Meeting below). Gorgoroth's To-Do List *Aquire Mithril Full Plate armor. *Go to the cherry tree in the Winterpeak Mountains to find the ally the Storm King spoke of. *Pray to the Storm King for help; perhaps a new spell, his presence or strength boost? *Get Gorillaroth some leather armor Tactical Meeting Please present your general strategies, tactical assessments and concerns here. Comments on specific major operations should go under the appropriate heading. '''Dr. Haiduc: The first thing we need to worry about is the hobgoblin infiltrators that we learned about during the scouting mission. They are apparently planning to act against Willowdale's "elf wizards", so all arcane casters should be on guard. Jura suspects that these may be doppelgangers, or possibly changelings. The current plan is to gather the town to announce the coming invasion and use a Symbol of Revelation to reveal any shape-changers or users of illusion magic in the crowd. We can then apprehend and interrogate the infiltrators. (This plan seconded by Jura) Jura suggests using the Ballista Dr. Haiduc is crafting to attack any ogre or giants the Hobgolblins are bringing, as they will be easy to hit but can take a lot of damage. Here general assessment of the situation: We appear to have roughly even numbers with the hobgoblins. They will have superior training for the most part, and will be better equipped (though this will level a bit if we can take out their Siege Engines). They also probably have a military intelligence advantage thanks to their spies, though we can mitigate this by neutralizing the spies with Dr. Haiduc's plan above. We probably have an advantage in healing with the Reverend Mother, the Church of Yoma, and any Ravenswood Druids, plus Alejandra, Dr. Haiduc, and Jura, whose combined healing power is significant. We also have a leadership advantage between the General, Colquoun, and the Pathfinders, which should beat the Praetor and the Centurions. Jura optimistically predicts a general caster advantage between Valconey, Sosostriss, Erevis, Wavelyn, Kat, Rinzler, Dr. Haiduc, and herself. However, she is a little nervous of the prospect of the Hobgoblins receiving aid from the Necromancer. For details, see Caster Neutralization. Finally, Commune on the 20th gives us a count of nine shapeshifters in town, Valconey excluded. Presumably these are our infiltrators, though no guarantees as I didn't suspect a hobgoblin connection when I asked the questions. Remember that we get at least one Commune on the 30th, and possibly a second when Samhain begins (a new week), so let's think of some good questions we want answered! Rinzler: Are we going to use Valconey's portal to evacuate non-combatants the night before the battle? The infirm, elderly, etc.? The portal should conceivably work in the other direction; we could send them to New Luxberg, or Highcombe (I spent a month there, I know it well). Alejandra: The efforts to stop any inside interference in our defence can also be supported by an evacuation of the town, by keeping the non-combatants far away from the action, we can minimize the spies' ability to compromise the defences and also make sure that the general citizenry are safe. In the unfortunate event that the wall is pierced and the fight goes into the town itself, we can use our knowledge of the town layout to split up the invading legion, taking down their numerical advantage with ambushes and traps. The presence of siege weaponry is of particular concern as well. The plan to erect a siege tower and heavy mobile arms, as well as a battering ram, would be able to counter our reliance on the Great Wall. However, if we were to strike at the legion auxiliary before their arrival and eliminate their siege weaponry, their advantage would disappear and we could use the wall effectively. I would also note that the location of the siege train can be predicted based on the location of the road. They would not cart such heavy machinery through the desert, as that would delay their advance by a week and leave their men thirsty and demoralized. The road would be an asset to expedite their advance, but it is for that reason that it is also a weakness that we can exploit. We should confirm the presence of the siege train on the road with scrying to make absolutely sure, though. Finally, let me say this, if only to remind you all of something important: Siege warfare against a fortified enemy that knows you are coming is one of the most, if not the most difficult military tactic to engage in, and this is even if you have a significant numerical advantage against said enemy. They may have the manpower, but we have the intelligence, the breadth of skills, and the resources to handle this threat. We will make them regret their foolish strategy. Ru: Rinzler, the farmers outside of town have been warned. I believe Erevis and Enrique saw to that. I'd like to nominate myself for a strike force, if we do end up putting one together. I don't know how much of a help I'd be against the Praetor (as anyone who saw him backhand me to the floor can attest), but I can help take out bards and casters and the like. Plus, I've seen their war machines, so I might be able to disable them with enough cover and time, if that would be faster than smashing them to bits. In a pinch I can bring myself and three others out of danger with the Cape of the Mountebank. If we're not feeling that, if we can find a safe spot where everyone can see and hear us, Calmex and I can support everyone. Also, we should be looking to take out any battle standards -- those guys are really attached to them. Siege Engine Strike Jura 'suggests making these a large priority, as structural damage to the wall would be very bad both for the prospects of the battle and the magical protection the ward provides against, for example, The Necromancer. She suggests getting those familiar with the workings (Jord, Enrique, Calmex) to identify weak points within an engine that can be targeted by a strike team. This would probably be more efficient thatn bringing a whole engine down, though we would want to consider whether replacement of parts is possible. Mechanical means would be ideal, though if Jura can get within 45 feet she can use Warp Wood to ruin suitable components, preferably within our three-day prep window as this would chew up a lot of spell slots. A Wand of Warp Wood may be very useful if we need a lot of these and Wavelyn or Valconey could help her make one. '''Alejandra:'I submit the following tactic for removing the siege weapons from the equation: Using the portal constructed by Sosostriss, we can move a strike force in behind the legion to attack the siege train that will be part of the advance, and will consist of the auxiliary troops moving and operating the equipment. To ensure that the force is not seen until the most opportune moment, we can specify that it send the team to within one mile from the southeastern corner of the Great Cedar Forest to ensure that they are not visible from the main road. From there, they can get close to the siege train as it passes, since it will have to take one of the main roads, and unleash whatever havoc they can on the machines and the men. Fire attacks should be able to cause the most damage to the equipment, and if we can kill the engineers who operate the machines, then so much the better. They would be burdened with machines they would be laregly incapable of using effectively if we can cripple the auxiliary in charge of the siege train, but at the same time, they would have a harder time replacing equipment than re-training personnel, so there is a strong case for prioritizing the destruction of either element of the siege train, and I leave it to the discretion and particular skills of the individuals in the strike force to determine where they can do the most damage. '''Ru has volunteered to help disable these mechanically, given cover and time. Dr. Haiduc: I'm in favor of a strike on the siege engins. However those are very hard to destroy through damage, and as I believe the hobgoblins have clerics with them it would only take a single Make Whole to negate all our work. Excuse the math hammer, but the stats we're looking at here are: Ballista Light(Large): hardness of 5 and 50 hit points, Heavy(Huge): hardness of 5 and 100 hit points,and Gate Breaker(Gargantuan): hardness of 5 and 200 hit points. Catapult Light(Large): hardness of 5 and 50 hit points, Standard(Huge): hardness of 5 and 100 hit points, Heavy(Gargantuan): hardness of 5 and 200 hit points. Trebuchets Light(Large): hardness of 5 and 50 hit points, Standard(Huge): hardness of 5 and 100 hit points, Heavy(Gargantuan): hardness of 5 and 200 hit points. Ram Large 30 Hit Points Huge 120 Hit Points Gargantuan 320 Hit Points Colossal 625 Hit Points Siege Tower Large 60 Hit Points Huge 240 Hit Points Gargantuan 640 Hit Points Colossal 1250 Hit Points The Trebuchets are my biggest concern. A heavy Trebuchets has a range of about 4000ft. If we don’t take them out they can bash the wall to pieces from a distance not even our best casters could reach. The most efficient way of destroying siege engines is through Jura’s Warp Wood. A single casting from her (8th level) can destroy one Huge siege engine or two large engines if they’re within 20 ft of each other. It will take two castings for a Gargantuan engine or four for a Colossal one. Items warped are completely useless and it can’t be reversed except by another wood warp spell. (The hobgoblins have no druids). As part of the strike I would recommend Jura in Air elemental form. Layer on as much enhancement magic as possible, at least mage armor, blur and protection from arrows (or stone skin if possible). If you can get a potion of invisibility it would be perfect for getting her within range. Also, if anyone knows where we can buy, borrow, or steal a lesser meta magic rod of quicken now would be the time, as it would let Jura wipe out a Gargantuan engine in a single turn. Once within range the enhancements should protect her while she casts, and afterwards nothing can catch an air elemental for quick getaways. Other possibilities include having Ru sneak in and using disable device to rig the engines to fail when fired, or using Woodripper acid, an alchemical compound that does 3d10 damage to wooden objects and ignores their hardness with a price of 20g per flask (I advise consulting Rinzler regarding this). Jura: Let's double-check sizing with Trahan! I cannot find a clear definition of “object size” with respect to the spell within the Pathfinder SRD, so we might need more casting to affect all engines, or else be forced to target key components rather than the entire engine. I get twelve 2-4th level spells, which theoretically will cover twelve Huge objects, so Wand casting may be a good idea – we're expecting 40 engines? Also, let's check timing on this – I'm a tank, but I can't work indefinitely, especially if we need to rely on lower-level wand castings. Boosting caster level of a wand may be cost and time-effective. Having Ru and/or Woodripper Acid sounds like a really good backup and speed-up mechanism if we can smuggle in a slightly larger group. All in all, Jura is definitely in for this plan. The cost of a Quickening Rod is 35,000gp, so theoretically three or four of us could chip in our dwarf prizes, but it seems too expensive given it's only useable on three spells a day, which saves us three rounds. Compare that utility to, say, two people getting +3 Armour, or Jura getting an Armour clasp that boosts AC +7 in Wild Shape. Caster Neutralization Jura '''suspects that the Hobgoblins may have a shaman or similar who is planning on using the date of Samhain to boost some sort of spirit-summoning effect. She recommends that Sosostriss, Eravis, and Eravis' ghost cohort Chorus identify likely effects and methods of counterspelling or otherwise neutrallizing these. If we can take out key casters beforehand, so much the better. Fortifications Alejandra: To make sure that their forces are thin as possible in their advance, there also remains the possibility of designing traps in and around the Golden Fields, in the form of pits and bombs. I personally am against this type of strategy, as it endangers those that have nothing to do with our battle and may come back to haunt us. However, immediately outside the wall may be the right location for such a strategy, and I believe Dr. Haiduc and his unseen servants could accomplish much in the way of designing traps for enemy forces trying to attack the wall en masse. I must say, however, that any such traps should be carefully documented and the commanding forces must be aware of them to ensure no unnecessary loss of life or battle potential due to falling victim to our own traps, and they should be set up in a way that allows them to be rendered harmless after the fighting ends. That having been said, I leave their design and objective to the more creatively-minded among you. '''Jura thinks traps or at least pitting the terrain to break up formations or slow remaining siege sounds like a great idea. She also suggests that since the best addition to a shield is a spear, we should consider attaching some pointy objects to the outside of the wall. Use of Clay Golem Bomb Jura thinks our options are dropping it in the middle of the camp and hoping it kills as many hobgoblins as possible, or dropping it in the Seige tent and hope it takes those out, as it will smash nearby objects if creatures are unavailable. Downside: Contingency plan if it gets loose and doesn't deactivate. We have 3 weapons capable of damaging it, and probably no magic that can get through its near-complete immunity. Plus, cursed wounds are a problem if you're going to need to fight an army soon after. Alejandra:'''To prevent interference from the main legion, I would recommend using the bottled golem to keep the attacking legion from getting close. Should we be able to lob it into the center of their formation, it would cause havoc and break a significant portion of their force. Any other skills capable of blinding, disorienting, or otherwise stopping the advance of large numbers of enemies are also recommended. Retreating forces should go back into the woods, as the enemy would be forced to break formation to account for the trees and that would make pursuit extremely dangerous and foolhardy. The strike force would then have to be able to return to town, so I would recommend that people capable of returning in short order be among the strike force. I nominate myself to participate in the strike force, as the Bronze Griffon granted to me by our Dwarven benefactors should enable me to return home ahead of the legion, which would be slowed by the attack. Anyone else capable of returning home through magical means should also step forward if they agree that this plan is sound. (Note: Organizing Editor Kate believes Alejandra intends for this attack to happen in the same operation as the Siege Strike) '''Dr. Haiduc: I would also recommend using an animated object (either flying or burrowing) to deploy the golem. That way you could make sure you are FAR away from it when it comes to life and it can draw hobgoblin attention in a direction other than your attack vector. I've been making tiny animated objects fairly regularly and there should be a spare one you can use in your plan (Just let me know what you need).